Coming to a skyline near you

Elizabeth Streb, mistress of extreme dance, is about to surprise London with a spectacular secret show

What will be so extraordinary about One Extraordinary Day? Nobody involved is
even hinting. This wildcard event in the London 2012 Festival is part of the
mayor of London’s series of summer “surprises”, and Boris don’t like no
spoilers.

Still, it might be a bit extraordinary. Elizabeth Streb has been New York’s
empress of extreme action for decades. Her dancers launch off things and
slam into them, soaring at alarming speed and with jolting force. Forget
pretty ballet or the solemn minimalism of modern dance — “all tights and
lights” — Streb’s work packs a visceral punch. No music, no frills, just
clean, unadorned action.

British theatres have periodically hosted her work, but now London is her toy
box. She can’t describe specific locations, so we sit beside the Thames.
Where did she start? “I was just wandering in the dark,” she says. Her
girlfriend, Laura Flanders, is a Brit (sister of